Theme is a general concept or doctrine, whether implicit or asserted, which an imaginative work is designed to incorporate and make persuasive to the reader."
A thematic statement explores the lesson of a literary work that the author attempts to convey to readers (e.g., The importance of loyalty in a friendship).
**Note that it is not one word or phrase (e.g., love, struggle of poverty), but a more complex issue that can be expressed as a sentence (e.g., The power of love; Those in love often surmount challenges to keep their relationship alive).
What is theme?
(bit.ly/mrgotheme)From M.H. Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms: